


the cost of peace

by ThePackWantstheD



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Despite the title, Family, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Growing Up Together, M/M, Uchiha Clan - Freeform, good parents, this is one hundred percent fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-10-26 17:41:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17750495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePackWantstheD/pseuds/ThePackWantstheD
Summary: In a world where Butsuma and Tajima make peace, Tobirama finds himself fostered with the Uchiha's.





	the cost of peace

**0\. blood is the price for peace**

Butsuma Senju and Tajima Uchiha sat across from each other in silence, nearly finished peace talks sitting on the table in front of them.

It had been Tajima who had made the move to offer peace. He had made the choice after a shinobi from a neighboring clan had tried to kill his wife shortly after she had birthed their fourth son. The clan had sought to use the strife to pin the murder on the Senju, to rid themselves of a few possible Uchiha threats without being attacked by the Uchiha for the threat.

Tajima's wife, Azusa, had struck the shinobi down without remorse when her son had been threatened. She would have gone after the clan herself, but she was still recovering from the birth so she had entrusted the job to Tajima instead.

And when all was said and done, Tajima had reached a hand out to Butsuma Senju. There was blood between them, but settling things was better than letting them continue until they were wiped out not just by each other but by all of the clans taking advantage of their strife.

Tajima was unsure why Butsuma had agreed to peace. But perhaps he had looked at his own wife, round with the Senju's fourth child, and thought of the story Tajima had told and decided that the same would not happen to his family.

The peace talks had been coming along for several long weeks. Now there were only a few more things to be ironed out. One of them was an insurance policy, something that acknowledged that blood between their clans and would keep either clan from breaking the pact.

They knew what that thing was, but neither of them had found the words to suggest it.

The silence stretched for what felt like hours.

It was Butsuma who broke it at last, voice rough and thick with a sort of remorse. " We need to keep the heirs close to the clan and all of our younger children are too young to be taken from their mothers. But our second sons have both reached their tenth year. I would give you my second son to foster if you gave me yours."

There were cousins and nieces and nephews that could have been fostered, but they both knew that nothing would keep the entirety of the clan from starting war like one of the clan heads sons being in the middle of the enemy compound. And, on the other hand, having the son of the other clan meant that each clan had the ear of someone close to the heir. They would both lose and they would both gain. 

"That is fair," Tajima said. No matter how much it hurt to think of having bright mischievous Izuna taken away from them, he knew that this was going to be the only solution. "Let's discuss the details."

 

 

 

**1\. this strange place that's meant to be home**

Tobirama stood carefully still, eyes flickering around as he tried to take in as much of his surroundings as possible.

When he had been told several weeks ago that he was going to be staying with the Uchiha, Tobirama had been proud. He was proud to be the person that his father was trusting with the peace between their clans, proud to be the person that would be protecting not only his family but the entire clan. He had stood tall even as his mother, Hashirama, and Itama cried as he left that morning. He had stood tall as his father and Tajima Uchiha spoke at the halfway point between their villages. He had stood tall when his father crouched down in front of him, one hand on Tobirama's shoulder as he murmured that he hoped Tobirama would be happy and that he should send a letter once he was settled in.

He had not wavered in his determination and pride even as he walked away from his father, passing the Uchiha boy, and up to Tajima Uchiha. He had not wavered when the Uchiha head had smiled at him, a little sad, and said that it was nice to meet Tobirama. He hadn't even wavered when the Uchiha and Senju parties left the meeting point, Tobirama heading away from his home and family.

Standing amongst the Uchiha in their compound, though, Tobirama was finding it difficult not to think about the previous animosity between their clans and the newness of their treaty. He was finding it difficult not to be a mixture of curious and scared of this new environment.

"Father, are you sure the Senju didn't trick you?"

Tobirama's eyes flickered towards the speaker, finding a boy around Hashirama's age had come to Tajima's side. He was pale, his skin holding only a little more coloring than Tobirama's own, and he had sharp black hair that stuck out in several directions. His eyes were the rich, dark color typical of an Uchiha. 

There was a woman standing behind him that the boy shared the curve of his jaw with. She had one hand stretched down to hold the hand of a child a few years younger than Tobirama, the boy might have been a little younger than Itama as well, and a baby held on her other hip.

Tajima's family, Tobirama realized. This was the rest of the main Uchiha household, the people who he would be spending majority of his time with for the rest of his life.

"Why do you think the Senju tricked me, Madara?" Tajima asked as he looked down at the boy standing next to him.

"He doesn't look like a Senju," the boy, Madara, said as his gaze flickered over to Tobirama. Feeling defensive, because Tobirama knew he didn't look like his brothers but he _was_  a Senju and he was proud of that, Tobirama straightened his back and met his judging gaze. "He's got light hair like the Yamanaka's and the marks of the Inuzuka and red eyes like us."

Tobirama's mother was an Inuzuka. She had put the marks of her clan on his face that morning, fingers dipping into paint that she put on herself every morning but had never placed on any of her children. She held onto her traditions, but she had always understood that her children were the heirs to the Senju. They were expected to be perfect examples of the family they would watch over for their lives. But now that one of her sons was being sent so far away from her, she was terrified. And in her terror, she relied on her old traditions to keep him safe.

She drew one mark on each of his cheeks, then another down his chin. As she did so, she had murmured words of strength, protection, and health.

His light hair and red eyes weren't so easily explained, but the Inuzuka and Hatake were close. There were plenty of Hatake's in his mother's line that Tobirama could have inherited his coloring from.

"I am Batsuma Senju's second son and I am proud to be so," Tobirama said, before Tajima could answer his son himself. "I resent the implication that my family wouldn't honor the agreement between our clans." He knew he was playing a dangerous game when in the home of a clan that had been at war with his own for so long, but he found himself adding, "How do I know that you're clan wasn't the one who sent a stand in instead of who you were supposed to? After all, _you_ are the one talking about betrayal."

"We wouldn't!" Madara insisted, puffing up angry and proud. "The Uchiha are honorable! We would never go back on our word like that."

Before Tobirama could respond, Tajima spoke, "There's no reason to fight like this, boys. Both clans have honored their part of the agreement - I delivered Izuna to Butsuma this afternoon and Butsuma delivered Tobirama to us." He reached out, putting a hand on his son's shoulder. "Now, Madara, why don't you stop arguing with our guest so that we can introduce him to your mother and brothers?"

When Tobirama looked back on that morning years later, he would find himself laughing because Madara had been infuriating since the very moment they met.

* * *

Life with the Uchiha's was dramatically differently than life with the Senju.

With the Senju most of the noise was the laughter of children. Adults spoke more quietly, private in their conversations and interactions. The Uchiha were loud, constantly talking and laughing and fighting. When he was in the main house, he would hear not only the laughter of the youngest Uchiha children as they played but also Natsuko Uchiha, Tajima's sister, shouting for her husband as she came bursting in from a mission with a million stories to tell him. He would hear Madara and his mother yelling back and forth as Madara tried to find something he lost and Asuza tried to get her eldest son to keep better track of his possessions. And things only grew louder outside of the house, where there were always teenagers laughing together as they walked home from training and family members who hadn't seen each other in a while stopping in the street to catch up and children running around wildly because their parents knew they would be safe among the clan walls.

With his family, Tobirama had been expected to give his father a report on his training during dinner and then stay quiet as the adults at the table discussed important affairs. He might talk to Hashirama or Toka while they ate, but they were supposed to keep their whispering to a low level. Dinner with the Uchiha's was even more chaotic than daily life with them. Tajima asked each of the children, his two speaking sons as well as Tobirama, how their day had been and all of the adults were quiet as the children launched into stories not just about their training but also about the games they had played and the stories they had heard. Once everyone had shared, the entire table would devolve into noise as conversation flowed all around. One could hear Kaoru, Natsuko's husband, telling Madara stories from missions and Asuza discussing the youngest children with Tajima and Tatsuo, Tajima's third son, telling anyone who would listen about the butterfly he'd encountered while playing with other clan children.

The Senju kept their passions close to their chest, kept them private for personal enjoyment, but Uchiha passions were scattered everywhere and shared with everyone. Madara took the first opportunity he could to show Tobirama his hawks, Natsuko was always happy to gather the children around her and tell tales of the battles she had seen, and asking Tajima any question about the Uchiha history usually ended up with listening to him speak for hours on end.

It was different than Tobirama was used to.

In his first few weeks with them he spent a lot of his time feeling lost and confused. 

Slowly, though, Tobirama adjusted.

He grew so used to all of the noise that it stopped interrupting his thoughts and became background noise that he found difficult to concentrate without. He was quiet by nature, had never been as talkative as Hashirama or Touka even though the Senju didn't look down on the play of children, so he wasn't as loud as the others but he found himself adding to the noise of the Uchiha compound as Natsuko shouted for him to come inside for dinner when Tobirama spent all day reading out in the sun or Madara chattered at him while the two of them were running errands for Azusa.

He grew more used to being included in dinner conversations. He was less hesitant with the stories he shared during dinner, stopped restricting himself to telling them what he had learned while practicing his kenjutsu or the new water jutsu he was practicing. Instead he rambled about the fish in the koi pond that he liked to practice in, told them about the books he read, and asked all of the questions that popped into his curious mind. He fought with Madara when they had yakiniku and worked with him to make sure Tatsuo had to eat more vegetables than them when they had sukiyaki. He begged to listen to Kaoru and Natsuko's stories, complained when Azusa made him eat something he didn't like, and laughed with the Uchiha boys when jokes were told.

He grew more comfortable in sharing the things that were dear to him. He still preferred to read alone in his room and to keep his journal of theories away from preying eyes, but he found it easier to discuss things with other people now. He found it easier to ask someone to do a jutsu he didn't know so he could learn about it, found it easier to discuss the theories he had. He found it easier to answer questions about the books he was reading, found it easier to explain to people why he loved them and why he thought they should read it too.

As Tobirama adjusted to and embraced life with the Uchiha, they embraced him.

Slowly, Tobirama found a family in this place so far away from his blood.

Tajima and Azusa took good care of him, but it was Madara's aunt and uncle who he found his home with. Natsuko was not his mother, his mother was a softer sort of woman than Natsuko who carried her katanas on her back constantly and laughed with reckless abandon and had physically hauled Tobirama away from his books to dump him in a bath, but she shared that same place in his heart. Kaoru was not his father, his father was a harder man than Kaoru who told stories to children while using different voices for each character and tended a garden of healing herbs to use when his wife was injured and ruffled Tobirama's hair when he had done something well, but he shared that same place within his heart. Their son, Kagami, was younger than any of Tobirama's blood brothers but Tobirama got just as much joy out of playing peek-a-boo with the baby as he did playing tag with Hashirama and Touka or reading stories to Itama.

Tobirama also found a friend.

Madara was horrible, loud and obnoxious and arrogant and was sometimes such an idiot that Tobirama wanted to bang his head against a wall, but Tobirama found that he didn't actually mind any of those things that much. He liked fighting with Madara when they were training because they challenged each other in a way that no one else did. He liked doing errands because spending the afternoon talking and arguing and laughing was fun. He liked the quieter times too, when Madara insisted on Tobirama reading to him and they sat in the library with a book or when Tobirama accompanied Madara to take care of the hawks and it was silent except for the rustling of feathers and Madara murmuring to the birds.

For all of his terrible traits, Madara was his best friend and Tobirama wouldn't have had it any other way.

* * *

Tobirama stormed into the house.

Madara followed after him, screeching, "Come back here you annoying white bastard!" Each of his steps was accompanied with a loud wet squelching that had vicious glee rising up in Tobirama's chest.

He was so busy with being angry at Madara that he didn't notice Natsuko and Azusa sitting in the den he was passing through until he heard Natsuko's loud laughter. He had been staring stubbornly ahead, determined to reach his bedroom in time to slam the door in Madara's face since there was a strict rule in the Uchiha house that bedrooms were off limits unless someone was allowed in given everything else the family shared, but now he glanced away from his path.

Natsuko and Azusa were sitting on cushions in the common room, Natsuko balancing Kagami on her lap while Azusa held Iwaki. The two babies were reaching out for each other, happy and giggling.

"Tobi," Natsuko said, voice fond and amused. "What happened to you?"

He opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped by Madara bursting into the room. Tobirama didn't know what he looked like, though he guessed his hair was singed at the tips were Madara's fireball had blew by him, but Madara was sopping wet. His hair was flattened against his head and his clothes were plastered to his skin. It dripped down his skin, falling off his chin in large droplets.

"Well," Azusa said, sounding even more amused than Natsuko had, "I would guess that Madara happened to Tobirama and he retaliated."

Madara puffed up, offense in the roundness of his cheeks and spark of fire in his eyes. "It was an accident, mother! He's the one who dumped the entire stream on me!"

"Don't be dramatic," Tobirama told him, rolling his eyes. "If I'd dumped all the water on you, the fish would have been hurt."

"You-!"

"Tobirama," Natsuko said, cutting Madara off. He looked back at her, having been glancing at Madara for the amusement the sight of him made Tobirama feel, to find Azusa shifting so that Natsuko could pass Kagami to her. "Come here. Madara's made a mess of your hair. We have to fix it."

Uchiha hair was as wild and untamed as they were, strong and large and full of spirit. It was an important aspect of their culture, something to be well kept and taken care of. Touching another Uchiha's hair was something that was rarely done except for among family and very close friends.

The maintenance of his hair was one of the first things that Tobirama had picked up from Uchiha culture.

The first time Natsuko had taken care of his, he had been embarrassed and pleased all at once.

Now, almost a year into him living with them, it stirred feelings of pleasant warmth in him even though it was a relatively frequent occurrence.

"Okay," he said. He made his way across the room. Natsuko had shifted so that her legs were open, allowing Tobirama to settle down in-between her legs with his back to her chest.  
  
She reached up, running her fingers through white locks. He liked the way it felt, letting his eyes slid shut. He felt it as she rubbed the burned ends between the pads of her fingers. She clicked her tongue as she did. "Madara got you quite good, didn't he?"

"Yes."

"Like I said - it was an accident," Madara exclaimed. Tobirama peeked an eye out to watch him, all puffed him and annoyed. He reminded Tobirama of the cats that roamed around the Senju grounds. "And _I_  at least said sorry! _He_ dumped the stream on me and then stormed away."

"And now you're standing in the middle of my home dripping water all over my floors," Azusa said, not bothering to give her eldest her attention. She kept her gaze focused on the two babies in her lap, but there was a distinctly unhappy note in her voice.

"Mom!"

"I don't know what you want me to say, Madara. You admitted that you started it. I'm not going to take your side."

"He dumped a stream on me!"

"You tossed a fireball at him."

"I was trying to show him something!"

"Well, clearly it didn't work," Azusa said. Now she looked up from Iwaki and Kagami, catching Madara's eye. "Go change your clothes. Find a towel afterwards and bring it down to me. I'll help you get your hair dried out." Tobirama knew how much Madara hated trying to dry his own hair out. There was so much of it and it was so thick that it took forever to do by himself. He would go to see his mother after every single one of his baths, begging her to help him with the mess.

"You promise?" Madara asked.

"I promise," she said. As Madara went to leave the room, she shouted after him, "And bring your aunt some of the hair things from her bathroom as well!"

"Okay!"

The two of them ended up spending the rest of the afternoon with the women and the babies, letting their hair be taken care of and playing patty-cake or hide-and-seek and teasing each other until Natsuko and Azusa chided them.

It was the sort of afternoon that Tobirama remembered, and cherished, for the rest of his life.

* * *

Tobirama settled into life with the Uchiha.

He developed a routine.

Natsuko and Kaoru usually had breakfast away from the rest of the family, allowing the individual units within the house to spend one meal by themselves. Tobirama spent his morning meals with the two of them. He had been taught to wake up quickly when he was in danger, but with his sensor abilities Tobirama had more warning than others and he had grown to be a slow waker when he wasn't alerted to anything strange. When he trudged in for breakfast, awake enough to have gotten dressed and repaint the markings his mother had given him when he'd first moved but not having done much else, Natsuko would mess up his hair before placing food in front of him. He would spend a while listening to their conversation as he slowly woke up, enjoying the soft lithe of their tones as they murmured.

When he had finished eating, he would reach out for Kagami who Natsuko usually held in her lap. He liked playing with the baby, so he would hold Kagami while Natsuko ate. Since he was a little more awake by then, Kaoru and Natsuko would ask him questions about what he was planning for that day so that they'd know where he'd be. Tobirama would murmur his answer while dangling his fingers in front of Kagami or playing peekaboo.

Usually Madara came to get him before Natsuko finished eating, typically having stormed out of his own family breakfast as soon as he finished eating because someone had made him angry, and Tobirama would pass Kagami to Kaoru before leaving. He was always followed by calls to have a good day.

He and Madara would walk to the training grounds together. Sometimes they chattered quietly about the morning or what they had done since the last time they'd seen each other. Other times they would end up arguing about something mundane, sometimes because Tobirama thought Madara was being dramatic about whatever had upset him that day. Sometimes the two of them spent their morning training together, their styles were so different that it was a good lesson for both of them in how to deal with an opponent they weren't a good match for, while others they separated to work on their own things.

Madara usually came to get Tobirama when it was time for them to go back to the house for lunch, because the Uchiha's had realized pretty quickly that he was likely to skip if someone didn't come for him. Sometimes, though, Tajima would pick both of them up if he could take lunch away from clan business or Natsuko would come to get them with the younger Uchiha children so that Azusa could cook without them being underfoot.

Lunch was a chaotic affair with three adults, three boys, and two babies. Each of the children were eager to talk about their morning and demanded attention. Even Tobirama, who so often wanted to tell Natsuko about the things he'd been practicing that morning. It was only worse on days when Tajima joined them, because Tatsuo, Madara, and Iwaki would end up fighting for their father's attention.

After everyone had eaten, the family would scatter for their own purposes. Tobirama spent a lot of his free time with Madara. Sometimes they would play with the younger kids together, sometimes they would run errands for Azusa, and sometimes they would end up training even longer. Occasionally Tobirama would go to see the hawks with Madara. Sometimes Tobirama left Madara all together, preferring to read and study in his bedroom.

Slowly, Tobirama built a life with the Uchiha's.

Slowly, he made his new house a home.

* * *

"You have everything you need for the trip?" Kaoru asked. He was crouched down in front of Tobirama while Natsuko stood behind Tobirama, in her armor since she was part of the Uchiha delegation going to drop Tobirama off and pick Izuna up. She was holding Kagami while Kaoru focused on Tobirama.

The treaty specified that for one month every year, Tobirama and Izuna were both to return to their families. At the end of that time, Tobirama would return to the Uchiha and Izuna to the Senju.

Having spent almost a full year with the Uchiha, Tobirama was getting ready to go back to the Senju for his time with them.

"Yes," Tobirama said.

"And you have everything you'll need while your home? The books you've been reading? Your journal?"

"Yes."

"Kaoru," Natsuko said, voice fond and amused. "You helped him get his things together. You know he has everything he needs."

"I just wanted to be sure." Kaoru let out a heavy sigh before reaching forward, wrapping his arms around Tobirama and pulling him in for a hug. Tobirama was surprised for a moment, but then he reached up to return the gesture. As he held him, Kaoru murmured, "Have fun at home, okay? Enjoy your time with your brothers."

"I will."

There was a quiet moment before Kaoru let him go.

"Alright," Kaoru said, pushing himself to his feet. "I'll take Kagami so that you two can get going." Natsuko passed Kagami off to Kaoru over the top of his head. Kaoru reached down to ruffle Tobirama's hair once he had Kagami in his arms. "I'll see you in a few weeks, Tobi."

"Bye," Tobirama said. He was happy to be going home for a little while, but there was a heavy weight in his chest at the idea of not seeing Kaoru or Kagami for a month. He would get a little more time with Natsuko, but then she would be gone as well.

"Ready to go then, kiddo?" Natsuko asked, resting her hand on Tobirama's shoulder as Kaoru began walking away.

"Yes." Tobirama turned on his foot so he was facing Natsuko.

He'd only taken a few steps when he heard a shouted, "Hey! Were you going to leave without saying goodbye to me?"

Tobirama glanced over his shoulder to find Madara standing a few feet away. His chest was heaving and his face was flushed a bright cherry red, as though he'd just ran across the compound full tilt. Despite obviously having ran to catch them, Madara had his chest puffed out, his hands on his hips, and an arrogant look on his face.

"Go ahead," Natsuko said. Tobirama glanced at her, finding her smiling down at him. She set a hand on his shoulder, giving him a light push in Madara's direction. "There's time for you to say goodbye."

Tobirama sort of wanted to ignore Madara, because he knew it would absolutely infuriate the older boy, but there was a tiny part of him that did _want_ to talk to Madara before he left, a tiny part of him that acknowledged that Madara was his best friend and not speaking for a month was going to suck even without adding a tiny fight onto the top of it.

Turning back towards Madara, Tobirama said, "You knew what time I was leaving. If you wanted to say goodbye than you should have gotten here on time."

"I was busy!" Madara exclaimed.

"You could've just done whatever you were doing later."

"No, I couldn't of!" Tobirama raised an eyebrow, judgement in his stance and the crossing of his arms. He didn't know why Madara was late, but he had known for days when Tobirama was leaving. Madara huffed, loud and annoyed, before reaching into the sleeve of his robe. "I had to look for this."

"This?" Tobirama said, peering at the thing Madara had pulled out of his sleeve. 

He had a black cord wrapped around his fingers, holding it out towards Tobirama. There was a wooden ring attached to the cord with three hawk feathers of various lengths dangling from it.

Glancing up at Madara, he found the other boys cheeks had turned an even redder color. "I made it for you a few days ago, but I couldn't find it this morning, so I had to go look for it."

Tobirama wondered where Madara had found it and how he had lost it. More than that, though, he wondered.... "Why?"

He hadn't thought it possible, but Madara's face grew even redder.

There was a long moment before he muttered, "I thought you might like something to remind you of the family while you were with the Senju."

"Oh." Tobirama stared for a moment before reaching out for the necklace. He wrapped his fingers around the cord, touch gentle and cautious. His goodbye with Kaoru had filled him with a sense of sadness, a well inside of him reminding him that the Senju weren't his only family nowadays and going back to them meant leaving the people that he had found here. This present from Madara had some of that sinking away, warmth and affection settling in where loneliness had been before. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Madara said. Silence settled between them as Tobirama took the pendant from him and brought it down over his neck. The feathers laid against his shirt, the dark brown coloring stark against the white of the shirt Tobirama had put on. After a moment, Madara let out a light cough. "You should uh...probably get going now right? I know I'm pretty late."

"I should, yeah." He murmured, "I'll see you in a few weeks?"

"Yeah," Madara said, cheeks still tomato red as he looked at the ground rather than Tobirama. "I'll see you then."

* * *

When he arrived back at the Senju compound, Tobirama was met with open arms. Hashirama and Touka had both met their party at the gates. The very moment he'd been within range, the two of them had launched themselves at him and latched on. They both stayed with him as the Senju party broke apart, until Tobirama was being pulled across the grounds by his brother and cousin while his father trailed behind them. When they entered the house, Tobirama was attacked once again. This time it was by Itama, the younger boy attaching himself to his knees. His mother was the next to find him, shooing all of the others off of him so she could wrap him in her arms.

That night they ate all of Tobirama's favorite things for dinner and the attention around the table was focused on him as everyone asked what his life was like with the Uchiha. His father wanted to know how his training was going, his mother wanted to know if he was being fed and taken care of, Hashirama and Touka wanted to know what he had been doing, and Itama wanted to know if he had any new stories to share with him.

That first night Tobirama enjoyed every moment he spent with his family, every moment spent catching up with people who he had missed incredibly.

After that, however, Tobirama found that the longer he was home the more he began feeling unsure of his place with the Senju. It wasn't that they'd stopped treating him like family, but that so much had changed in the year that Tobirama had been gone that he was finding it hard to find his footing.

Some of the changes were within his family. Kawarama had been just a little baby the last time Tobirama had been home, but now his youngest brother was a whole year older and Tobirama barely recognized him as the newborn he had left behind. The Uzumaki had visited while he was gone, leading to Hashirama being entered into an arranged marriage to a red head that he claimed was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen and Touka falling in love with the naginata. Hashirama now spent a fair amount of time waxing poetry about Mito Uzumaki and the naginata Touka was learning to use was never far from her hands. His father was still reserved, but the end of the war with the Uchiha's had allowed him time to open up to the family. Now Tobirama had a father who let Itama skip out on training and laughed when Hashirama hit himself with a wooden branch while trying to perform a jutsu instead of scolding him.

Some of the changes were within himself. When he arrived at breakfast those first few days, he had eaten and then taken Kawarama from his mother without thinking about it. He'd been playing with him for several minutes before he realized that his mother had gone quiet, surprised and caught off-guard. When one of Hashirama's jutsu's had ended up with mud getting in Tobirama's hair, he had been so upset about it that he'd yelled at his brother before running off to take a bath. Before he would have glared and let it go, but now he couldn't help thinking about Azusa clicking her tongue and lamenting on how horrible it was for hair as precious and unique as Tobirama's to be covered in filth. He had scrubbed at his hair until every last bit of dirt came out, until it was just as white and pristine as it'd started. While practicing jutsu one day, Tobirama had heard someone coming up behind them and whipped a stream of water at them only to find out that it was his father coming to ask if Tobirama wanted help today rather than Madara trying to annoy him.

Tobirama still enjoyed most of his time with his family, still enjoyed curling up with Itama when the sun went down to read stories to his baby brother, still enjoyed teaming up with Touka to make fun of Hashirama when he was being ridiculous, still enjoyed his mothers cooking and wolfed down every bit of it he could get.

But sometimes he found himself reminded that he had spent the majority of his year without them and that their world had kept on turning without him.

He was still a Senju, but he had been separated from the clan while everyone kept growing and changing.

He was one of them, but at the same time he wasn't. And Tobirama, who took such pride in his family and would have done anything to keep them safe, found himself unsure of how to handle that.

* * *

"Tobi, did something happen while you were home?" Natsuko asked, voice lowered so only he could hear her. Her words were filled with a soft sort of concern, like she was worried about pushing him too hard. 

The Uchiha party had left the meeting point a while ago, but Tobirama had kept to himself for most of the journey thus far. Natsuko had left him alone, letting him have his space, but it seemed like now she was done with that. 

"No. Everything was fine," Tobirama said.

Natsuko was quiet for a few steps before speaking again, "I don't believe that, but if you would rather not talk about it than we don't have to. If you do want to talk about it, you don't have to keep it from me to seem strong or something. I'm here for you."

Tobirama didn't say anything for a moment, thinking about whether this was something he wanted to share. He wanted to know what an adult thought about the way he was feeling, but he hadn't been able to get the words out around his mother or father. He'd been worried that his mother would be upset about how he was feeling or that his father wouldn't have anything to say except for him to straighten his shoulders and do his best for the clan.

Natsuko felt safer in a way, though.

"It was just...weird," Tobirama said at last. "Everyone had changed and grown without me. And I had changed and grown without them. Sometimes things felt normal, but sometimes it felt like I was a different person, like I hadn't been raised with them."

She hummed. "I understand that might bother you, but that's a natural consequence of this peace treaty. In some ways, it's the reason we have a peace treaty." When he looked at her, confused, she continued, "We exchanged you and Izuna for insurance, yes, but that's not the only reason. You both remind us that our clans are not just shinobi, we are mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters. We all know boys like you who we want to protect. You remind us that the only difference between you and our sons, nephews, brothers is the clan symbol on your clothing. You remind us that for every son, nephew, and brother we have lost, the Senju have lost one as well." She has been looking ahead as they walked, but now he looked down at him, "The reason that you feel so misplaced when you are home is because in serving as that reminder for us, you bridge the gap between us. You are a Senju, but you are no longer just a Senju. You are also an Uchiha. You are part of our family, part of our culture. You carry both of us in you just as Izuna does."

"So I'm not either?"

"You are both. And in a time like now, when we're trying to establish peace after having fought so long and having lost so much to each other, that is much more valuable than being one or the other."

 

 

  
**2\. times changes everything - you, me, and us.**  
"Come back here, you coward!"

Tobirama ignored Madara's shouting, climbing the stairs into the household.

He refused to turn to face the other man, but he could feel Madara's chakra following behind him. It always felt like strong wind before a storm, the kind that rattled the trees and doors and smelled like rain about to fall. When he was angry like he was now, it flared up like a terrible storm hitting their home. When he was worked up like this, Tobirama could practically feel the storm of Madara's chakra beating down on him. He could smell the rain in the air, could feel the wind beating harshly against his skin. 

Madara was one of the strongest people in the family. His chakra reserves were so large and the power within them so strong that Tobirama found it hard to ignore him. Unable to turn his attention away from him, Tobirama had gotten into the habit of using Madara's chakra as an anchor to keep himself from being overwhelmed by all the other signals in his sensor range. Madara's temper flared up so often that Tobirama rarely went a day without feeling like he was going to be blown over by a storm. It was such a familiar feeling that Tobirama was hardly phased by it. 

It was more comforting than bothersome.

It was hardly going to be enough to get Tobirama to bend to Madara's whims.

"Stop running away!" Madara shouted.

Tobirama would have continued on his way through the house, but as he passed the door to the living room, he heard Natsuko laughter. "Well, well, isn't this a familiar scene."

"We haven't done this in years," Tobirama said. He turned to find Natsuko and Azusa sitting in the room together. Haruto, Madara's youngest sibling had just turned two years old, was sitting next to his mother and playing with the blocks that Madara had carved for his birthday.

"You haven't done this in a few months," Azusa corrected.

Tobirama opened his mouth to argue, but before he could get the words out Madara was sliding into the house. "Hey! You little shit! Go grab your sword! We're going again and this time you aren't going to use any tricks!"

Ignoring Madara's words, he gestured towards the soaking wet man standing next to him. "It's been years since I've had to dump the stream on him." Natsuko burst out into laughter, wild and free, and Azusa giggled, softer and quieter.

Madara and Tobirama fighting was a common occurrence, but Tobirama hadn't dumped stream water on Madara since they were children. He'd found that there were better ways to shut Madara up nowadays, like proving his point so efficiently that Madara was left sputtering and without response.

"Well, clearly somethings never change," Azusa said. Her voice held the lingering traces of her laughter, warmth and fond amusement in her tone. "Madara, go grab a towel. I'll help you dry your hair out." In the years since they had been children, Madara had developed an aversion to cutting his hair. He'd take a little bit off of it every couple of months to keep it healthy, but he hadn't had a proper haircut in years. It had turned drying it into an even bigger hassle.

"I wouldn't have to dry it out if Tobirama fought fair!" Madara said.

"It was a sparring session," Tobirama said, rolling his eyes. "You wouldn't expect a real opponent not to use jutsu just because you have them locked in close combat, so you shouldn't have expected me to handicap myself."

"The point of a friendly spar is that it's not real combat!"

"I don't think I ever said that it was going to be a friendly spar." Ignoring the sputtering that burst from Madara, Tobirama stepped into the room. He made his way across the room, intent on spending some time playing with Haruto since Madara's dramatics meant he wasn't going to get any more training done that morning. "Go get yourself a towel. You're dripping all over the floors. It's going to ruin them."

* * *

Despite what Azusa had said, a decade together had changed a lot.

Tobirama had grown more sure of himself, become more content with his position in the Uchiha and the Senju. He stood tall no matter where he was, knowing that he was at home regardless of which family he was with. He'd developed a sharp tongue and his mind had grown even sharper. He still preferred the company of his family or solitude over almost anyone else, but he'd developed a passion for teaching and loved to spend his free time with the clan's children when he could. He was unparalleled when it came to water jutsu. His mastery of his element combined with his skill in kenjutsu, his sensor abilities, and his constant creation of new techniques meant there were few people in either of his clans who could fight on the same level as him. However, the peace between the Senju and Uchiha meant that Tobirama rarely had to be soldier, focusing instead on his role as a teacher and researcher. Occasionally he would help out in skirmishes with other clans, but the Uchiha and Senju had both grown stronger now that they weren't tearing each other apart so it was rare that others attacked either of them.

Madara had grown up in some ways. He still had a temper that set him off easily, but he'd learned to bite his cheek and hold it in under certain circumstances. With his father growing older, not quite declining in health but reaching a point where it was difficult to take care of all his business, Madara had began taking on more responsibility to his clan. He had grown tall and broad, shoulders straight despite the weight of the clan pressing down on them. He did his best to understand the struggles of his people and he trained hard in order to protect them all. Tobirama would never say it to Madara himself, but he was proud of the man his friend had become. Madara had been a good kid, but he'd grown into a great man and Tobirama was happy that he got to stand by his side.

The two of them had changed a lot as individuals. As they did, their relationship with each other also changed.

They had been close friends since Tobirama's arrival at the Uchiha compound a decade ago and they had only grown closer of the years.

They still argued and fought, Madara still sneered at Tobirama and Tobirama still dumped streams at him and both of them still screamed at each other when they were particularly annoyed. But Tobirama was also the person that Madara came to when he had a particularly difficult day. When the elders had been so annoying that Madara desperately needed to fight someone, he came to Tobirama for the type of spar that would help him blow off steam. When he had spent a rough day listening to all of the problems his clan was having and desperately needed someone to talk to, it was Tobirama that he sought out to discuss things with. When everything was too much and Madara needed someone to make him smile, it was Tobirama that he came to find so they spend some time together and do something they would both enjoy.

And when Tobirama had his roughest days, when he had encountered members of the clan who still hated the Senju to the point of injury, it was Madara who he went to. He enjoyed the company of children and they made him smile, but no one helped him release the tension in his shoulders or the spike of fear in his chest quite as well as sitting in the aviary with Madara as he tended to the hawks.

Tobirama barely paid attention to it, so close to Madara that his feelings associated with him were simply part of his every day life and it was difficult to notice the chances in them, but he knew that the warmth in his chest when he spent time with Madara was only growing as they grew older. He knew that the warmth he felt for Madara wasn't the same as the love he felt for his brothers - the Senju ones or Kagami - and that he didn't feel the same sort of affection for Madara as he did for the rest of their family.

There was part of him that knew that Madara felt the same way.

But it was a difficult thing to consider and pull apart when it meant changing the way things had been between them for a decade, a difficult thing to handle when it changing the way they had been for the entire time they had known each other.

* * *

Tobirama sat on the bridge that crossed the koi pond in the gardens of the main Uchiha house. He had one of his feet dipped into the water, moving it gently to feel the water between his toes. A few of the fish were brave enough to come near him even as he moved, ones that had become used to Tobirama invading their space over the decade he had spent living with the Uchiha.

The bridge in the gardens was one of his favorite places on the grounds. It was where he felt calmest, where he felt the most in control.

Today was one of those days when he came to his favorite place because the house was too loud, chaotic in a way that meant even escaping to his bedroom didn't give him the peace he needed to think properly. The Yamanaka clan were visiting for some kind of business discussion and the whole house was filled with twice as many people. On top of all the extra people, Tatsuo had fallen head-over-heels for the family's eldest daughter, Yori. He was constantly whining about not being able to participate in the talks where he would have been able to catch glimpses of her and waxing terrible poetry about her beauty.

Tobirama had finally had enough of all of it earlier that day, finding that he desperately needed to escape the house.

He'd brought a book on chakra theory with him that he'd been trying to get through for almost the entire week that the Yamanaka had been there.

He had made it almost halfway through the book, desperately absorbing it since he didn't know when he would be able to focus like this again, when he heard footsteps on the bridge.

"Tatsuo," Tobirama said, without looking away from his book, "I love you dearly, but if you say one more thing to me about Yori Yamanaka, I will drown you in this river and leave your body in whatever remains for the koi to eat."

"I'm impressed," said the intruder. The voice was deeper than Tatsuo's, far more familiar to Tobirama. "That's a pretty creative threat."

"That's because your brother has reached new heights of annoying." He raised his eyes away from the pages to look over at Madara. The older boy was walking across the bridge in a black yukata with red fans spread throughout the fabric. He'd taken to wearing them open while at home, leaving large swathes of his chest in view. His hair was a heavy coat of black with the longest pieces falling as far the middle of his back. He was carrying a stack of papers in his hands. "Were you looking for me?"

"Not really," Madara replied. He walked towards Tobirama, heavy footsteps more noticeable now that Tobirama wasn't focused on his reading. "I was looking for somewhere quiet to do some reading. It's not my fault that you were the one to show me all of the best places for that.

"Ah I see...You had me show you all of the best places so that you could steal them from me." Madara chuckled lightly. As he drew closer, Tobirama shifted to give Madara space to settle down next to him. He sat down close enough that Tobirama could feel the warmth of Madara's leg pressed against his through the thin fabric they were wearing. While Madara preferred traditional clothing, Tobirama preferred thin training clothing when relaxing at home. He shifted a little close to look at the papers in Madara's hands. "What are you reading?"

"Clan stuff. Father wants me to start growing familiar with them now that I'm getting older."

Tobirama hummed a little bit. He moved away, not enough to break the contact between them but enough that he could read his book comfortably. As he peered back down at the pages, he said, "Well, I suppose I can share my spot with you if it's for the good of the clan. But if you get annoying, I will follow through on my threat."

"I'll keep that in mind," Madara said, voice soft and low and warm. Tobirama ignored the rush it sent down him. "I'd hate to be made into fish food."

* * *

Tobirama and Madara spent a lot of time together during the Yamanaka's visit.

They had always had, but during the weeks that the other clan was around it felt like the moments they were together had changed somehow.

Things were softer between them, quieter as they both sought to escape the chaos of the compound. The charged thing between them that Tobirama had been feeling for months, for years maybe, was more obvious in those moments.

It was easier to feel the warm affection that he held for Madara when they were sitting together on the bridge in the gardens, Tobirama reading a book while Madara looked through clan documents, when they communicated in brushes of elbows as pages were turned instead of shouted arguments. It was easier to feel the electricity between them when they were walking around the market place together, when they were too exhausted from all of the chaos at home to do much more than talk quietly when they escaped, when Tobirama was focused on the way their fingers brushed as they walked and the lithe of Madara's voice as he told him something that had happened the day before. It was easier to feel the happiness that Madara's presence made him feel when the two of them sat in the aviary together, one of the few places that was used almost exclusively by the two of them, and Tobirama scribbled down theories while Madara checked on the hawks, when it was just the chirping of the birds reacting to Madara's petting and the scratching of Tobirama's pen.

Tobirama liked fighting with Madara, liked the way Madara made him flush with anger and challenged him in ways that no one else did, but it was easier to acknowledge all of the things that Madara made him feel when they weren't combined with irritation, anger, or frustration.

The quiet moments didn't go away once the Yamanaka left. Instead it seemed as though they had simply become a part of their routine together, had slotted themselves in their lives just as easily as their arguing.

The two of them trained until they were both bruised, then they'd walk home together from the training fields - far enough away from most of the compounds houses to keep Uchiha fire jutsu from burning anything down - with their breaths and footsteps in sync. They'd give each other soft, panted form corrections and praises for new jutsus they saw the other try.

Madara would come to find Tobirama when he had holed himself up in the library for too long, using gentle fingers to pry Tobirama's books from his hands because he knew how important they were and murmur how everyone in the house was starting to miss their favorite annoying Senju. There was always an unspoken whisper between them that Madara had been the one missing him more of all. Tobirama would complain, but he'd ultimately give in and let Madara lead him out of the library.

They would sit next to each other at the dinner. And no matter how hectic things got around them, Tobirama would feel the warm grounding weight of their knees pressing together. He would glance in Madara's direction to find him looking back, exchanging quiet unnoticed smiles before turning back their full attention back to whatever conversations they were having.

He had never considered life without Madara, not just because the peace treaty demanded Tobirama living with the Uchiha but because Madara had been by his side from the very moment that he'd entered the Uchiha compound.

Now he found himself wondering if there was another way of staying by Madara's side, if he could stay by his side as something more than Madara's best friend. He wondered if he could have more of all of it. He wondered if he could have the same type of arguments that he saw Kaoru and Natsuko have all the time - the silly, stupid affectionate things about which fruit to buy and how ridiculous a shirt wore and whether one of them was telling a silly story. He wondered if he could have the same type of quiet affection that he saw between Tajima and Azusa - the way they both stood a little taller when next to each other, the large smiles and quick kisses brushed against knuckles as they passed in a hallway, conversations had in quick glances rather than words.

He wondered if he could have more of Madara than anyone else.

* * *

"You chose Natsuko, didn't you?" Tobirama asked. He and Kaoru were sitting in the library together, both of them working on separate projects. Tobirama felt bad about interrupting him, but he didn't know when he'd get a chance to talk to the man in private again. The Uchiha's were close and it was usually difficult to get moments like this alone. The rest of the family had learned to give Tobirama and Madara their space when they were alone, but the same didn't apply to their relationships with others.

"It would probably be more accurate to say that Natsuko chose me," Kaoru said. There was a small smile on his lips as he said, "Despite the rumors about the women my clansmen are attracted to, I don't think anyone would have chosen a Nara for Natsuko. I think, before we met, they were looking for a match amongst the Uchiha. They thought she wanted a match with someone who would encourage the fire within her." Tobirama wondered how that had gone. He knew there were plenty of people in the clan who weren't related to the main family and would have been eager to marry one of their daughters - there were plenty that felt that way about the currently unmarried Uchiha boys - so he couldn't imagine how Natsuko had avoided being matched with someone long enough for her to meet Kaoru. "I don't think they realized that Natsuko would have been wild no matter who she was with, or that what she wanted was someone who could calm her down when being consumed by fire was too much and she wanted someone to take a deep calming breath with her."

Tobirama wanted to ask Kaoru more about his relationship with Natsuko, finding that he suddenly had a million questions, but he had a mission today and he wanted to make sure to ask his original questions before he ran out of time.

"You weren't arranged though?" Tobirama asked. "You chose each other? You courted each other?"

"Yes." Kaoru had still been reading when he spoke before, but now he looked away from the pages of his book to look at Tobirama. There was concern in the curve of his lips. "Did something happen while you were with your family? Is your father looking to arrange something for you?"

"No," Tobirama said, shaking his head. Marriage had come up during his visit home the month before, but only because of his age. With Hashirama already engaged to Mito Uzumaki, and close to being married to her, there wasn't any strong need for Tobirama to be engaged as well. Since he was in his twenties, his parents had wanted to know if he wanted them to try and arrange something with another clan but there hadn't been any pressure and they had both accepted his dismissal. "But I'm...I'm considering a courtship."

"You are? Who?"

Tobirama gave him a look. "I don't really think you need an answer to that, do you?" He knew there weer all sorts of things being said about him and Madara recently, that there always had been and that those rumors had only increased as they grew older. The clan cared for their family and they noticed things, even when Tobirama and Madara had been quiet about the thing building between them.

"No, I suppose I don't," Kaoru said, a little amused. There was a quiet moment before Kaoru's expression grew more serious. "I don't doubt that you put a lot of thought into this before coming to talk to me about it, but you need to be sure before you do anything. He may prefer wind, but he is as much of an Uchiha as his father and aunt. He carries the same fire inside of him that they all do. When they love they are passionate and intense and obsessive. If you're going to propose a courtship to an Uchiha, you have to be certain of it. I wouldn't trade what I have with Natsuko for anything in the world, but it takes a certain type of person to love an Uchiha and the way she loves would have burned someone else from the inside out. And that boy isn't any different."

* * *

Tobirama understood what Kaoru was trying to say in his warning. He wasn't saying not to love Madara or not to court him. He was saying to be _sure_  of Madara before he did anything, because the way the Uchiha loved had a tendency to hurt those that weren't fully prepared for it.

In the decade he had lived with the family, Tobirama had seen the aftermath of more than one bad match. Two girls that Madara and Tobirama had known since they were children had began courting shortly after coming of age, but the courtship had fallen apart and it was well known that the two of them were always on opposite sides of the village in order to avoid the sorts of arguments that would burn half the marketplace down. One of Madara's cousins had wanted to court a Aburame, but the girl in question had found the way he went after her so obsessive that she'd unleashed an entire horde of her insects on them and Tajima had had to talk to the boy to get him to give up before a war started. And one time, Tobirama and Madara had had to train somewhere other than the training grounds because the falling apart of a courtship had led to two Uchiha boys scorching most of the land. Those were really just the tip of the iceberg.

Tobirama was stronger than any of those other intended had been. And he was far closer to Madara than any of the other pairings had been.

If things went wrong between them, it would be an unmitigated disaster.

But, well...Tobirama had been dealing with Madara's unique brand of Uchiha crazy for a decade.

If there was anyone who could handle him, it was Tobirama. Tobirama who had seen the obsessive way Madara cared for his hawks, how he fussed when he found one of their their feathers particularly dirty and how he worried when one of them was injured. Tobirama who knew how explosive Madara's temper could be, who understood when to push back and when Madara needed to be left alone and when he desperately needed someone to remind him that there were good things in the world.

He knew he was bias, but he couldn't help thinking that he understood Madara better than anyone else would and that he would be able to make Madara happier than anyone else. He couldn't help thinking that he was the best person for Madara to be with, or that Madara would be the best person for him.

* * *

Tobirama stood in front of Tajima Uchiha, back straight and hands clasped behind his back.

"Peace between the Senju and Uchiha had became fairly secure over the past few years, so I have no qualms with you spending an extended amount of time with your family. I certainly wouldn't mind having a little longer with Izuna," Tajima said. He stared at Tobirama, curiosity in his gaze. "I just don't understand why you're requesting this now. I saw your father and eldest brother just a few weeks ago when we were discussing the attacks on the trading caravans. As far as I'm aware, no one in your family has died recently or is battling a severe injury."

"While I admit that seeing my family is a benefit to my plan, I'm not leaving to see them," Tobirama said. Feeling as though it was only fair to tell Tajima, he added, "And if you grant my request, Izuna would not be able to come back to you. It would ruin my plans if something that obvious happened."

Tajima stared at him for a moment, obviously trying to puzzle together the pieces Tobirama had given him. After a moment, he said, "Tobirama, are you asking for permission to return to your clan so that you can court someone from my clan?"

The Uchiha had a pre-courtship ritual that was essentially an elaborate came of hide and seek. An Uchiha's intended was made to hide from the Uchiha they were interested in entering a courtship with and the Uchiha was meant to seek them out, meant to show their devotion by searching for up to half a year. Uchiha's were meant to love fiercely and intensely. If they gave up on finding their intended than the match was invalid, chalked up to a flight of fancy or crush rather than actual love.

"Yes." Tobirama told him, "I'm planning on your eldest son chasing me."

"Well. I can't say that I wasn't expecting this at some point." There was a quiet moment where Tajima seemed to consider things before he asked, "You have thought about this, correct? No one in this house wishes to see either of you boys hurt."

"I have." He had never been one for sharing his feelings wildly. He didn't particularly feel like changing that just because of the situation, but he thought he needed to say at least something to portray to Tajima how serious he was about this entire thing. "I believe that there is no one capable of making me more frustrated and angry than Madara. However, I also believe that there is no one capable of making me feel more happiness and joy than him. And I believe that he feels the same about me."

They stared at each other for a long time before Tajima nodded.

"Alright," Tajima said. "You can leave in the morning. I'll tell my son that he's being courted as soon as he asks where you are."

There was no doubt in Tobirama's mind that Madara would ask about Tobirama's whereabouts before tomorrow was up. He'd be tipped off by Tobirama not being around for him to pick up from breakfast, but by the time lunch came around Madara would realize how strange it was that he hadn't seen Tobirama and he'd end up questioning everyone in the family until he figured out where he had gone.

 

 

 

**3\. come and find me, love**

"Brother!" Hashirama said. He looked torn between worry and happiness as he walked through the gates and towards Tobirama. Toka and Izuna, who Tobirama vaguely recognized since the only time he had seen the boy had been during the times the Senju and Uchiha met to swap their second sons, followed behind him. Toka had the same look of confused concern and happiness on her face, while Izuna's face was blank. Tobirama didn't blame them - Toka and Hashirama were his family and they were doubtlessly happy to see him given how little time they had together each year but Izuna and Tobirama meant almost nothing to each other. There was no reason for Izuna to be happy to see him, especially given what Tobirama arriving at the Senju compound unannounced could mean for him and the Uchiha. "I'm surprised to see you!"

Hashirama's concern over whether or not Tobirama was endangering the peace between the Senju and Uchiha clearly weren't large enough to keep his brother from folding him up.

They held each other for a moment before Hashirama shifted. As he drew back, Hashirama moved his hands up to Tobirama's upper arms. Looking him in the eye, he asked, "What are you doing here, little brother? We weren't expecting to see you for almost a year."

Tobirama hummed, considering his reply.

Then he said, grinning widely, "I'm hiding."

There was a moment of silent confusion.

Hashirama glanced behind him at Toka, the concern on both of their faces deepening.

It was Izuna who broke through the quiet, bursting into loud obnoxious laughter. Toka and Hashirama seemed to grow even more worried about the whole thing. It was as though they thought that Tobirama and Izuna had both broke despite not having been in contact with each other.

"You're courting?" Izuna said through his laughter. "You're here because you're courting?"

"Yes," Tobirama said.

"Courting?" Toka glanced between the two of them. "What does hiding have to do with courting?"

"It's an Uchiha thing," Tobirama told her. She raised an eyebrow at him, a little disbelieving. "Prior to courting, Uchiha and their intended have to split up for six months. The intended had to hide and the Uchiha has to find them. They have to prove their dedication to the person by searching for and finding them."

Toka hummed a little bit, eyes cutting back to Izuna briefly. Tobirama knew that there was something there, had heard it from his brother during his last few visits, but he hadn't realized it was serious enough for her to be considering Uchiha courtship rituals.

"You're courting?" Hashirama exclaimed. Tobirama had been looking around his brother to look at Toka and Izuna, but now he found his attention forced back as Hashirama squeezed his arms. "Really? I'm so happy for you! Who's the lucky lady?"

"It's not a lady."

Hashirama corrected himself without missing a beat. "Who's the lucky guy?"

Tobirama wondered, briefly, how Hashirama would respond to his answer. He knew that Madara and Hashirama had struck up a friendship when Tajima and Batsuma had met for talks before. They had grown closer as they each took over more of their father's duties, meaning they were not only at every meeting but also in charge of most of them which meant a fair amount of discussion between them. "It's Madara."

There was another moment before the sound of Izuna choking on his laughter rung out.

* * *

In the years right after the peace treaty had been signed, Tobirama had often found himself feeling lost when he was with the Senju. He spent majority of his time with the Uchiha and in those days he had been stuck between the two clans.

Over the years, though, Tobirama had found the balance within himself. He was a Senju in blood and his pride came from them. He was also Uchiha, he lived with and like them. In growing up and coming to terms with his life, Tobirama had found himself becoming exactly what Natsuko had said he was all of those years ago - not wholly Senju or wholly Uchiha, but a bridge between the two.

Feeling certain of his place within his clan made it easier for Tobirama to enjoy the time that the courtship allowed him to spend with his family. He'd come to the Senju compound because he knew that despite all of his connections to it, Madara wouldn't think to search for him there first. But Tobirama hadn't spent more than a month a year with his family for a year and he was hardly going to pass up the opportunity to spend more time with them.

He took the opportunity he was given to rebuild his relationships with Toka and Hashirama. They had been close to each other as children. They had tried to keep their relationship tight even with the distance between them, but it had gotten more and more difficult as they grew up while spending so much time apart. Now, Tobirama had the time to train with Toka until they were both flush with exertion and their love for a good fight. Now, he had time to collapse into the grass with her and talk until both of their voices were hoarse. Now, he had time to laugh with her until their faces hurt and remember why it was that they had stuck so close to each other's side as children. Now, Tobirama had the time to let Hashirama limpet onto him without shoving his brother off because there were six thousand places to go and things to do before he had to return to the Uchiha. Now, he had time to listen to his brother's idealism and enjoy the idea of the world his brother pictured. Now, Tobirama had time to sit with his brother and talk until he remembered why it was that Hashirama had always been so important to him.

He took the opportunity to spend time with his younger brothers, who had been so young when he had started spending his time with the Uchiha and who he had never gotten to see for very long before leaving them again. Now, he had the time to walk through the gardens with Itama and listen to how the boy had fallen in love with healing jutsu. Now, he had time to sit with Itama and tell him stories, because Itama had always loved being told stories by Tobirama and loved it still despite being almost fully grown himself, until he ran out of things to say. Now, he had time to properly understand what type of man Itama had become and to grow incredibly proud of what he saw. Now, he had time to play with Kawarama without having to run off in the middle of their time together. Now, he had time to learn what all the things that his littlest brother loved were and got to listen to him ramble about them until he had run out of facts to tell. Now, he had time to actually spend with the brother whose entire life he had been absent for.

He took the time to exchange more than basic information with his parents. Now, he had the time to sit and have time with his mother while talking about all of the things that he got up to while he was with the Uchiha. Now, he had time to walk his mother through the gardens and explain to her why he had chosen the man he had. Now, he had time to properly assure his mother that despite how much it had hurt her to let him go, he had flourished with the Uchiha. Now, he had time to sit beside his father at their dinner table and tell him about the family that he had given Tobirama to. Now, he had time to sit in the garden's gazebo with his father and tell him of the things he had learned with the Uchiha that the Senju never could have taught him. Now, he had time to let his father know that he made the right decision when he traded his blood for peace.

The short amount of time Tobirama spent at home meant that as much as he loved his family, it was difficult to go beyond the surface with them while still making sure everyone had his attention.

Now, Tobirama had the time to really spend time with his family and enjoy himself with them.

* * *

"Brother, please stop fluttering around like that. You are making it very difficult for me to concentrate."

Tobirama was sitting in the common room of the home he shared with his brothers and Izuna. He'd settled himself there to read when it had been quieter in their home, back when everyone else had been out tending to the duties around the Senju compound. He'd known ever since had Hashirama returned, however, that he should've just stayed in his bedroom.

"I can't!" Hashirama said. He had gotten home several minutes ago, arriving with Izuna in tow. Tobirama didn't know what the two of them had discussed while out, but his older brother hadn't stopped bothering him since getting home. While Izuna had flopped himself into one of the other chairs and made himself comfortable, Hashirama was pacing in front of Tobirama and wringing his hands together. "I'm too worried about you to stop moving around! I can't calm down!"

Tobirama glanced up from the pages of his book. He wasn't going to get much work done while Hashirama was acting like this, he was much better at ignoring the shouting and screaming that seemed so constant at the Uchiha compound. Tobirama could hear Madara shouting from halfway across the house, not to mention all the other people who lived with them as well. This kind of quiet, moving worry was much less common and Tobirama found it much more difficult to ignore.

"Why?" he asked.

"I asked Izuna about Uchiha courtship. He said that if Madara doesn't come for you in half a year than you won't be allowed to court."

"That is how it works, yes."

Tobirama glanced at Izuna, hoping for some insight into why Hashirama found this worrying.

Izuna just shrugged.

"Won't your heart be broken if that happens?" Hashirama said. "You like him so much! I don't want you to be hurt."

"I suppose it would," Tobirama murmured. In truth, he had never thought about how he would feel if Madara failed to find him. Madara coming to him felt like a surety. "But if that was the case, than not being together would be the best. For both of us."

" _How?_ " Hashirama cried. He sounded like he was on the verge of tears. Tobirama hated the idea of making Hashirama cry, but he was finding it incredibly difficult to figure out why Hashirama was so worked up about all of this. He knew that these things seemed to natural to him because he was in the thick of them, because he'd spent the last ten years watching various Uchiha court, but eliminating that bias was incredibly difficult. "Even if he can't find you, that wouldn't mean you love each other any less. So how can forcing two people who love each other be what's best for them?"

 _Ah,_  he thought. _This is why Hashirama doesn't understand._

"Because if Madara can't find me, than he doesn't love me the way an Uchiha should love their partner," Tobirama said.

He thought about Tatsuo falling in love with Yori the moment he met her and how desperate for the love of the Yamanaka's daughter he had been. It had been Tobirama who listened to all of the third Uchiha boy's terrible poetry, who had convinced him that he was only going to kill the girl if he tried to make her chocolate, who had used his own ability with water to teach the boy how to conjure hearts and flowers with his fire jutsu.

He thought about Kaoru and Natsuko arguing over the dinner table, how Kaoru insisted everything she cooked was too spicy and Natsuko insisted he could cook for himself if it bothered him so much. He had been there for them to drag him into their arguments - both of them insisting that Tobirama liked their food the same way that they did. Tobirama had been there for their dinners for over a decade now, been there to watch as Kaoru kissed the spice from Natsuko's lips and insisted that next time he was going to cook for them instead. He had been there to listen to Natsuko's riotous laugh at the idea of her husband trying to cook and to hear the affection that tinted her voice.

He thought of Tajima giving up war, the only thing he had ever known, because someone had almost taken his wife from him and about the fire that lit in the usually quieter Azusa's eyes when she heard even a whisper against her husband or children.

These were the people who had taught him what love was.

These were the people who had taught him how a partner who loved him should act and how he should act when he returned their feelings.

"The Uchiha are aligned with fire for a reason, Hashirama," Tobirama said, hoping that he could put what he had seen while growing up into the proper words. "They are wild, loud, unrestrained. They are quick tempered and quick to action. They are passionate to the point of obsession."

There was a quiet moment while Tobirama let that sink in.

"For an Uchiha, six months without their partner is nothing," Tobirama told him when Hashirama's face was coated with confusion, like he understood what Tobirama was saying but didn't know why he was saying it. "Because an Uchiha who has found their true love will follow that person to the ends of the earth, will burn the world around them to ashes if that person it taken from them." He told Hashirama, "If Madara doesn't come for me than it means he gave up and Uchiha don't give up on their true love."

Tobirama paused giving Hashirama time to absorb that as well.

Then he added, "If that's the case than being separated is what's best for us because we both deserve to find someone we love truly and deeply."

Silence settled.

It was Izuna who broke it after several minutes, saying, "All of that being said, I really doubt that my brother won't show up. When I'm at home he loves me for like a day and then it's 'Tobirama this' and 'Tobirama that.'"

Tobirama let out a small laugh at the sound, unable to help the affection settled in the sound.

He said, chest warm with possibilities, "There is no doubt in my mind that he's going to come for me."

* * *

Tobirama was enjoying the time he had with his family, but the longer he spent at the Senju compound the more he found himself missing the familiarity of the Uchiha compound and the family he had within it's walls.

The Senju were his blood. He was bound to them in ways that he wasn't bounded to anyone else. He had shared the first ten years of his life with them. He had spent his youngest years toddling after Toka, his cousin having been his favorite person in the world from the moment they had met. He had learned how to swing a sword with Hashirama by his side, his older brother having been a constant companion since the moment he had been born. He had learned how to read while reading stories to Itama, his younger brother having adored Tobirama every bit as much as Tobirama adored him.

But he had spent the last decade of his life living with the Uchiha and it had bound him to them as well.

The calmness of the Senju compound had been nice at first, it was something that he always enjoyed during his yearly visits with his family, but as time stretched on he found himself missing the chaos of his home and family.

He missed Haruto and his toddler babbling. He missed hearing him cry out his name, always so excited to see Tobirama, and having to scramble to catch him when Haruto threw himself into Tobirama's arms. He missed hearing Kagami and Iwaki running around the house. At ten years old they were both rowdy, rambunctious children. They were always chattering, always laughing, always begging Tobirama and Madara to train them. He missed spending time with Tatsuo, missed spending dinner listening to him tell stories about his day with his friends and laughing at him when he started waxing poetry about Yori Yamanaka. He missed hearing Natsuko and Kaoru yelling at each other from different areas of the house - trying to have a conversation while Natsuko was in the garden and Kaoru was in the library. He missed hearing Tajima swearing as he fumbled around the mess the six boys in the house left in their wake and Azusa's laughter as she dealt with the chaos of so many children in one place.

He missed Madara, of course, but the whole reason he was at the Senju compound was so they could spend the rest of their life together.

What he missed more than Madara, what he missed most of all, was the family that he had left behind for the six months that he would be gone. He wanted desperately to send a letter, to hear how everyone was doing and what they were up to, but he knew he couldn't. Madara had to find him with his own power, sending a letter that could end up in Madara's hands might have ended up with the Uchiha elders deciding the entire courtship was invalid because Tobirama had made it too easy for Madara to find him.

It was in those weeks when Tobirama's longing for the Uchiha members of his family began to reach new heights that he and Izuna found themselves growing close.

Before the courtship, they had never spent any real time together. The peace treaty meant that while the Uchiha were Tobirama's family, Izuna wasn't. And while the Senju were Izuna's family, Tobirama wasn't. They had seen each other before when Tajima and Butsuma had met for deals, usually bringing both second sons along, but usually the boys chose to spend time with their respective blood. So even when they were in the same place, Izuna was usually with Madara when Tobirama was with Hashirama.

Now that Tobirama was spending such an extended amount of time at the same place as Izuna, though, he found that the two of them actually got along fairly well.

They were different in a lot of ways, but they were ways that made them get along well. Izuna was prone to talking for long periods of time and Tobirama preferred listening to speaking himself. Izuna acted to much without thought and Tobirama thought too much without action. Outside of battle, Izuna was never serious enough while Tobirama was too much so. And the things that they had in common were the most important things - their love for their brothers, their loyalty to their families, the absolute certainty that they would both do absolutely anything to protect those that were important to them.

More than anything Izuna understood Tobirama in a way that no one else in the world was capable of. So many years into the treaty between their two clans, there were plenty of Senju and Uchiha passing through both compounds. But there weren't any who were as entrenched in the culture of both the way Izuna and Tobirama were. No one had been sent away from their home at ten years old with the weight of peace on their shoulders the way they had.

Despite having spent a decade away from them Izuna reminded Tobirama of the family they had both left behind. Izuna waxed poetry about Toka's beauty and strength the same way that Tatsuo did about Yori. He preferred having someone help him dry his hair just like Madara did though he'd spent the time before Tobirama came to the compound doing it himself because the Senju didn't understand how important hair was to the Uchiha and Izuna didn't want to trust someone who didn't understand with his own. When he laughed he kept going until he ended up breathless and doubled over just like Natsuko. He smiled like his mother and cursed like his father.

Izuna didn't replace the Uchiha's that Tobirama missed, but he helped ease some of the longing.

* * *

Tobirama sat in the garden in the middle of the Senju main house.

The Uchiha gardens were one of his favorite places on their grounds, but the Senju gardens were one of his favorite places in the world. The Uchiha's gardens were a nice aesthetic feature, but the Senju's affinity towards earth and water had turned gardens into part of their culture. They were important, trees and flowers were raised by hands that called to earth and water was moved by those who understood it.

When Tobirama and Hashirama had been children, only a year or two before the peace treaty had been signed, their mother and father had taken them out to the gardens to make their mark on the garden that their immediate family had been caring for and carving for years. Hashirama had weaved trees and branches together until he created a gazebo in the middle of the garden. There was a stream running through the garden, the work of Butsuma's great grandmother. Tobirama had built a pond for the stream to end at, flooding most of the area around Hashirama's gazebo until it stood on a little island with only a thin path leading up the steps.

The gardens had always been one of Tobirama's favorite places in his childhood home, he'd spent a lot of time running around in it with Toka and Hashirama before the three of them had grown old enough to join the war, but his attachment to it had only grown once he'd left his mark on it.

It had changed since Tobirama had spent his childhood there, Itama had wrapped flowers and vines around the garden when he was brought to the garden and Kawarama had prepared for weeks in advance of his in order to add fish to the pond that Tobirama had created, but it remained his favorite place to be when he was visiting.

He was sitting on the bank of the stream with his feet dipped in the water, having always preferred to sit where he could feel the water moving rather than in the gazebo, with a book on fuinjutsu that Mito had left with Hashirama the last time she had visited her betrothed. Tobirama supposed she had been expecting Hashirama to send it to him, but Tobirama had ended up at the compound before Hashirama could get around to it.

He was studying a particularly intriguing passage, making mental notes on what he wanted to ask Mito about the next time he sent her a letter, when he heard the sound someone approaching.

"Hey." He looked up from the pages of his book to find Izuna walking towards him. He was wearing the light clothing that Tobirama was, though in darker coloring. His hair was well taken care of and carefully styled to stick in different directions. He was carrying several sheets of paper in his hands. "I was looking for you."

Tobirama looked at him for a moment before letting out a quiet laugh.

"There something funny about me looking for you?" Izuna asked, voice confused.

"No," Tobirama said, waving his hand dismissively. He thought of those moments that he and Madara had spent together while the Yamanaka's had been visiting, those moments when he had first started discovering the love that had settled between the two of them. "This just reminded me of something that happened between your brother and I once."

"Ew." Izuna's face scrunched, unhappy and disgusted. "What is it? I need to know so that I can make sure to never do it again."

Tobirama rolled his eyes. "It wasn't anything like that. We just had a talk in the gardens once."

He hummed as he closed some of the space between them. "The Uchiha gardens aren't nearly as beautiful as the ones here, but they're nice aren't they?"

"They're different types of gardens," he said. "I do prefer these ones, though.

"So do I." There was a quiet moment as Izuna reached him and crossed his legs to settle down next to Tobirama. When he spoke again, it was to say, "You've been here a while, haven't you?"

Tobirama hummed in agreement. "A little under five months."

"Ready to go back?"

He was excited to get back to the home and family that he had been away from, but more than any of that he was excited to start a real courtship with Madara. Figuring Izuna didn't need to know that, he said, "Something like that."

"That brother of mine is cutting it pretty close," Izuna said. Tobirama hummed. In his years with the Uchiha's, he had seen the first step of courtship last all sorts of lengths. The daughter of the woman who owned Asuza's favorite fruit stall had searched for the boy she loved for three months, one of Madara's cousins had found his love with the Nara clan only two days before his six months had run up, and one of the Uchiha elders told a story about a girl she knew who had found her intended just weeks after the first step had started. There was no shame in the length of the step, so long as the person who hid did so to the best of their ability and the person searching threw themselves into finding them. "I'm sure he'll show up any day now."

"Perhaps," Tobirama said. He had come to the Senju compound because he knew it wouldn't cross Madara's mind for some time that Tobirama would return here, that between the treaty and Tobirama's attachment to the Uchiha he wouldn't consider that Tobirama would come to this place that was only his for a month out of every year. He'd assume that Tobirama would have gone to one of the other clans - maybe to the Nara or Uzumaki who Tobirama had many friends among. He hadn't thought it would take Madara this long to figure it out. Madara's lateness didn't take away from Tobirama's absolute certainty that he would come before they ran out of time, though. Unconcerned, Tobirama shifted the conversation, "Why were you looking for me?"

"Ah." Izuna lifted the papers in his hands. "I got a letter from my mother today. I thought you might want to hear what's been happening at home since you haven't been able to talk to the family."

"I'd like that," Tobirama said. He didn't regret his decision at all, but he found that he wanted desperately to hear how his family was doing. "I'd like that a lot."

* * *

Tobirama was absolutely certain that Madara had been looking for him, there was no doubt in his mind that Madara loved him and would have been ecstatic the moment Tajima told him that Tobirama had started the pre-courtship ritual, but he found himself wondering whether or not Madara was going to find him.

While he had know that it would take Madara a while to figure out that Tobirama was with the Senju, he hadn't thought it was so difficult to guess that Madara would never find him. The point wasn't for Madara to never find him - it was just to make it difficult enough that Madara had to work for it, that Madara had to prove how dedicated he was to Tobirama and how much he loved him. The fact that Madara was taking so long made Tobirama wonder whether he had miscalculated in the entire thing.

As they crept through the fifth month Tobirama found it difficult to focus on anything except the invisible ticking clock, but having his family around helped him.

It helped that he could spend his morning laughing with Toka over breakfast, giving his father advice on issues with the Uchiha, or pointing out the issues in Itama's sword techniques. It helped that he could spend his afternoons teaching Kawarama water jutsu that he didn't know, having tea with his mother, or going for walks with Hashirama when his brother needed a break from his clan duties. It helped that he could spend his evenings mocking Izuna as he helped him dry out his hair.

For all that his family helped, though, spending time with them couldn't completely erase the nagging anxiety in his chest.

He wanted to believe that everything was going to work out, but as time passed he found that it got more and more difficult to ignore the fear growing in his chest.

The way Tobirama had gone about this meant that there was a lot on the line.

If Madara didn't show up before their six months up, then they wouldn't be able to court. Not just now, but ever. There were no redos in the Uchiha rituals, one time was all you got and if you messed it up than you proven not to be as great together as you were expected to be. There was nothing that the Uchiha looked down on more than people who carried on despite knowing they weren't good for each other, who inflicted the pain of a Uchiha relationship blowing up on each other and everyone around them.

If they messed this up, they would never get the chance to be anything more to each other than what they already were.

The hawk feather pendant that Madara had given Tobirama when they were children, which Tobirama hadn't taken off for more than few minutes since the day Madara had given it to him, burned against his skin at the thought of never growing into what Tobirama _knew_  they were meant to be.

* * *

"You are late," Tobirama said as he stared at Madara. His heart was pounding in his chest, the same way it had been ever since he had woken up that morning. It was the final day of their pre-courtship ritual and Tobirama hadn't been able to feel Madara's chakra nearby when he'd woken up.

"I'm not," Madara objected as he approached. He had been sprinting as he came from the forest that separated their compounds, but now he slowed to a walk. He must have ran a great portion of the journey because his face was flushed with exertion. "I have four hours left."

The sight of him bursting through the tree line had sent a rush of relief down Tobirama's spine. Part of the relief had come from the knowledge that Madara had made it in time to keep them from being torn away from each other. The other part had come from how nice it was to see Madara after so long apart. Even when considering the missions each of them had been sent on, they had never spent more than a week apart from each other.

Tobirama didn't really care about how long Madara technically had yet, just about the fact that Madara hadn't found him until the final day. So he repeated, "You are late."

"I'm really not," Madara said. "I've known where you were for a few weeks now."

"And you didn't come for me then?"

"I had to finish something." Tobirama cocked an eyebrow. Reading the judgement in Tobirama's eyes, Madara said, "I would have come for you today even if I hadn't finished it. I wouldn't have ruined things by trying to do to much. I'd have rather waited on what I was working on than lose you. But well... just coming for you didn't seem like a good example of my dedication to you so I did something else."

Drawing close enough that he was within arms distance, Madara held a scroll out for Tobirama.

Tobirama reached out to take it. His gaze flickered from the scroll to Madara. "What is it?"

"A signed agreement from the Uchiha Clan elders to work with the Senju to create a village where both clans will live in harmony." Tobirama froze, eyes on the thing in his hands. Slowly, he looked up at Madara. The other man smiled at him, soft and affectionate and lacking the usual edge. "Your brother and I have talked about before when our fathers met up. We wanted a way for you and Izuna to be with both of your families. I made it happen because it seemed like there wasn't any better way to prove how dedicated I am to you than to make it so you didn't have to be torn between the Uchiha and Senju anymore."

It took a long time for Tobirama to understand what Madara was saying to him, to understand what Madara had presented to him and why he had done so.

"You absolute idiot," Tobirama said. He reached out, getting his hands on Madara's shirt and pulling the other man into him. He was already head over heels in love with Madara and Madara _knew it_. And yet he had still done this for him, had put this thing together to prove just how much Tobirama meant to him. Tobirama felt incredibly overwhelmed. not just by the force of Madara's love for him but by the intensity of his own feelings as well.

Madara's eyes narrowed in that way they always did when he was about to argue, Tobirama had gone so long without feeling Madara's chakra that the feeling of winds picking up that accompanied was a welcome familiarity, but before he could get the words out Tobirama spoke again.

"I love you," he said, and then pulled Madara flush to him and pressed their lips together.

Madara was an absolutely idiot, but he was Tobirama's idiot and he had been since they were ten and twelve.

**Author's Note:**

> 1) Hi! I hope everyone enjoyed this piece, I had a lot of fun writing it!
> 
> 2) Kudos to anyone who understands the reference in Madara's parents names. But also I'm sorry if I've made up names for characters who have them? I couldn't find names for Madara's mother or dead brothers. 
> 
> 3) Tajima and Butsuma are both much less terrible in this au. Everyone is much less terrible in this au. I was very fluff and idealistic. I know that. 
> 
> 4) I read that Madara's main aspect was actually wind?? I'm not sure if that's true, but I liked the idea so I based Tobirama's sensing of his chakra on that.
> 
> 5) So I didn't remember it but when I was scrolling through the MadaTobi tag, I saw [this](http://impennatebird.tumblr.com/post/182452815124/madatobi-idea) post by impennatebird and I think I may have gotten some inspiration from it without remembering it because I saw it when I was half asleep or something?


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